Paving construction



a 2 1927. Aug H. B. GAGE PAVING CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 5. 1926 INVENTOR: Robert 11 Gaga, BY

WITNESSES I I QMMQZQMM null "ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 2," 1927.

ROBERT IB. GAGE, OF TREN'I'ON, NEW JERSEY.

PAVING CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed September 3, 1926. Serial No: 133,362.

My invention pertains to a method of preventing cracks from forming in the surface of a pavement over joints in the underlying foundation.

In laying a paving surface of sheet asphalt, bituminous concrete, or the like upon a concrete foundation, it has been found that wherever joints are present in the foundation, whether they are cracks caused by the forces of nature, or artificial joints construced to allow for expansion and contraction, there is a tendency for the surfacing material to crack directly above or adjacent to the openings in the underlying foundation.

To prevent the formation of these cracks, the top or wearing surface is sometimes laid upon a thin, porous layer of bituminous coated stone or gravel. Such a layer is usually known as a binder course and is composed of coarse gravel or stone in which the voids are not completely filled with the finer matrix. While the use of a binder course has a tendency to permit a certain amount of movement in the base without forming open- 2 ings in the wearing surface, nevertheless such a construction has not proved entirely satisfactory, for the more pronounced joints in the base will extend upward through the wearing surface.

m On this account the use of transverse construction joints in concrete foundations is now somewhat limited. How my present invention overcomes this and other difliculties in paving construction will be more readily 5 apparent from the detailed description which follows.

In the accompanying drawings I have il-' lustrated a typical embodiment of my invention.

0 Fig. I is a top fragmentary view of a concrete road foundation with a portion of the wearing surface and expansion joint covering cut away.

Fig. II shows a transverse cross section of 5 j the same along the line II II of Fig. I.

In the concrete foundation 1, a common type of expansion joint is shown at 2 and a natural joint which has occurred after setting and drying of the concrete is illustrated D at 3. Instead of filling the joints 2 and 3 with elastic material such as is commonly used to provide for their expansion and contraction and which has a tendency to be squeezed out during expansion of the concrete causing 5 bumps to appear in the wearing surface, I

cover the unfilled joints with strengthening or reinforcing strips 5 laid across the openings and extending in this case from say six to eighteen inches on each side thereof.

such as wire mesh or fine rods 6 enclosed between the layers of the bituminous fabric, or the strips may consist of plain metal fabric, rods orcwires. With the use of the latter materials the main members are laid at right angles to the joints being covered. In the drawings the joint coverings 5 are shown reinforced with wire mesh 6 inserted between two layers of bituminous fabric. After the joint coverings 5 have been laid across the openings in the concrete foundation, the surfacing material 4 is applied. Ordinarily the paving surface is sufficient to keep in place the reinforcing strips, but when necessary these strips may be imbedded in a bituminouscoating applied to the surface of the concrete around the joint-s.

The joint coverings described are sufiiciently strong to withstand distortion when subjected to the stresses and strains attendant upon expansion and contraction of the concrete base. Further, the stresses and strains which would otherwise be concentrated upon the surface pavement along the relatively small portion overlying the joints in the base are caused to be distributed by means of the structure shown over an area sufiiciently large as to enable the surface pavement to withstand the forces exerted.

Qbviously the 'oint coverings here disclosed are adapted for use in pavements or in any structural foundation wherein expansion joints or natural crevices are found. If the expansion joints are at proper intervals, transverse cracks will not appear on the pavement surface thereby greatly reducing the labor of keeping roads or pavements in good condition.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A paving construction comprising a foundation containing joints, a continuous wearing surface, and joint'coverings in the shape of flat strengtheningstrips overlying the joints insaid foundation and underlying the said wearing surface.

2. .A paving construction comprising a concrete foundation containing joints, a bi- Y dation and wearing surface and covering the joints in the foundation and a portion of the concrete surface adjacent thereto.

4. A, paving construction comprising a foundation containing joints, a wearing surface, and joint coverings in the shape of flat strengthening strips positionedabove the joints in said foundation and secured in 20 place by the said wearing surface.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Trenton, Mercer Co.,.New

Jersey, this 14th day of Aug, 1926.

ROBERT B. GAGE. 

